Zero plans for public onshore windfarms submitted last year in England
Windfarms lose favor in England in 2023.
Zero plans for public onshore windfarms submitted last year in England
Fiona Harvey, The Guardian
New government data shows that no new proposals for general-use windfarms were submitted for planning permission in England last year, reports the Guardian, “despite the government’s much-vaunted relaxation of planning restrictions”. The newspaper continues: “Only seven applications were submitted for onshore wind turbines for the whole of 2023 in England…and all of those developments were for the replacement of existing turbines or for private sites, where the energy produced is destined for a particular consumer, such as a business. The number was even lower than the 10 applications submitted in 2022, when the de facto ban was still in force…Last September, ministers announced changes to the restrictive regulations that had in effect ruled out onshore wind turbine construction in England since 2015.” By contrast, the outlet notes, “at least 46 applications for onshore wind development applications were made over the same period in Scotland, where no such ban has ever been imposed”. The article references analysis by Carbon Brief from last year, which found that “the onshore wind ban had cost consumers about £5bn – or £180 per household across the UK – in annual energy bills”.
Meanwhile, Reuters reports that the UK's “round six” renewable energy auction next month offers a price cap of £73 per megawatt hour (MWh) [in 2012 prices] for offshore wind developers “after the government increased the price by 66% following no eligible bids in last year's auction”. It notes: “The higher price cap in round six has been welcomed by the offshore wind industry and experts predict fervent interest from developers. Offshore wind has also been allocated its own revenue pot in the auction, avoiding competition from other renewable energy sources. The UK must accelerate offshore wind deployment to meet its goal of a decarbonised power sector by 2035. The government aims to install 50 [gigawatts] GW by 2030, up from a current level of 15GW.”
Elsewhere, the Guardian has a feature on the “fears for UK energy generation as green projects [are] delayed”. The article looks at the challenges facing the forthcoming “national transmission plan” being devised by National Grid, which could be published in time for March’s budget. It says: “The drive to net-zero is expected to increase demand for electricity supplies, and Great Britain’s grid is being rewired and expanded to accommodate the many new green energy projects. Policymakers face a tricky decade as the target of decarbonising the electricity system by 2035 collides with the day-to-day job of keeping the lights on and ensuring electric vehicles, heat pumps and industrial machinery are powered.” Finally, the Economist has a briefing – and related editorial – on how the electrification of energy-intensive industries “could be a major new way to slow global warming”.